Shadow details are detailed, but not quite as dark as they could be. Soundbar-like bottom bezel doesn't actually provide improved sound.

Bottom Line

TCL's C-series with Roku TV should be on your short list if you're looking for a big-screen smart television with a small price tag.

TCL's P607 stands out as one of our favorite TVs this year, combining fantastic performance with an incredibly low price. It has just one flaw: It's only available in a single size. If you want a 55-inch TV and don't want to spend a lot of money, the TCL 55P607 is our top pick. If you're looking for something larger, you have to look elsewhere. While we weren't as impressed by TCL's S405 line, the company's C807 series offers an HDR-capable picture that comes close to the 55P607, with 65- and 75-inch models in addition to the $699.99 55-inch 55C807 we tested. It's a strong choice if you're looking for a big-screen budget TV. Bonus: You get Roku TV in the bargain.

Design

The C-series is certainly the most stylish of TCL's TV lines. The screen is surrounded by a 0.3-inch brushed metal bezel on the top and sides, while the bottom sits above a 2.4-inch-wide black bar covered in what appears to be speaker grille fabric. The TV has a pair of 8-watt drivers for audio, which make for a striking soundbar-like visual element (though they don't actually offer appreciably more power or better sound quality than other TV speakers). A silver TCL logo sits in the middle of the grille, with an indicator light under it.

All wired connections except for the power cable (which is located directly back toward the left side of the TV) face right, near the right edge of the screen. They include three HDMI ports, a USB port, an Ethernet port, an antenna/cable connection, an optical audio output, and 3.5mm audio inputs and outputs. You won't find composite or component inputs here, which can be a problem if you want to hook up older devices. A small four-direction controller sits on the lower right corner of the back of the TV.

Remote and Roku TV

The included remote is a typical Roku TV-enhanced remote, like the one that comes with the 55P607. It's a chunky, candy bar-shaped wand with a prominent purple navigation pad flanked by playback and menu controls. Four dedicated service buttons offer instant access to Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, and Starz. The right side of the remote features a volume rocker and a mute button. The left side holds a 3.5mm headphone jack for use with the included earphones or your own headphones. It enables Roku's private listening feature, muting the TV and streaming all audio through the headphone jack when you plug in, so you can listen to whatever you're watching without disrupting anyone around you.

A pinhole microphone just under the power button enables the use of Roku's voice search function. You can use your voice to search for any movies or TV shows based on title, actor, genre, or other characteristics. Search results show up on the TV and include options for watching them across any streaming services on which they're available.

It's a helpful search feature, but it isn't a full voice assistant like Alexa on the Amazon Fire TV or Siri on the Apple TV 4K. You can't use the voice search to get information like weather reports or sports scores, and you can't control smart home devices like you can with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri.

Like TCL's other TVs, the C807 uses the Roku TV platform for apps and streaming services. It's a full-featured connected TV system that covers the vast majority of big streaming names (except iTunes, of course), along with hundreds of more interest- and region-focused specialized channels. The Roku app lets you mirror your smartphone or tablet to the TV easily, as well.

Performance

We test TVs using a DVDO AVLab 4K test pattern generator, a Klein K-10A colorimeter, and SpectraCal's CalMAN software on a Razer Blade Pro laptop, using testing methodology based on Imaging Science Foundation's calibration techniques. The C807 shows impressive contrast for a relatively inexpensive TV, with a 350.38cd/m2 peak brightness and a 0.03cd/m2 black level for a 17,519 contrast ratio. It doesn't get quite as bright (507.85cd/m2) or dark (0.02cd/m2) as the TCL 55P607, but it's still excellent for a TV in this price range. It also edges out the Vizio M-series in contrast (14,376:1).

The 55C807 supports high dynamic range (HDR), just like the 55P607, and displays both HDR10 and Dolby Vision content, so you can watch HDR video from any consumer streaming source or physical media. HDR and wide color gamut has affected how we measure the colors of TVs. In the past, we would set a TV to its Movie, Film, or ISF picture mode with the color temperature set to the warmest preset to check accuracy. This typically shows a TV's colors balanced for Rec.709 broadcast standards. Since TVs with wide color gamuts can reach beyond those standards, we've started checking other picture modes to measure their ranges. Those modes, like Standard and Vivid, have typically been very inaccurate in regards to color in the past, but that is changing.

The chart above shows measurements taken from the C807 set to its Vivid picture mode, with the color temperature set to Warm. Whites are nearly spot-on, while reds and greens reach appreciably beyond Rec.709 standards without veering in either direction. Cyans and yellows remain balanced, and while magentas lean slightly warm, they're still very close to ideal out of the box. The color performance is excellent, comparable with the P607's color levels, though the P607 has a slightly greater reach for reds. The Vizio M-series also displays excellent color, standing as the only other relatively inexpensive TVs we've seen that offer such performance. If you want a better picture than those options, you'll need to look for a much more expensive flagship LED TV like the LG SJ9500 series, or step up to an OLED TV like the Sony XBR-A1E line.

BBC's Planet Earth II looks very good on the C807, with vivid, natural greens in the foliage in the "Islands" episode. Fine details like leaves on treetops and fur on sloths look sharp and crisp. The sunlit picture is very bright and vibrant, though shadows under shady trees appear a bit lighter than they should be. This seems to be an issue of backlight bloom, which we witnessed to a lesser extent on the P607. It doesn't lighten shadow details to the point of looking washed out, but there is definite room for improvement.

Skin tones in The Great Gatsby look natural under the garish, bright lighting of the party scenes. The texture and contours of the dark suits both indoors and outside come through clearly, with plenty of shadow detail. Again, the shadows don't look quite as dark as they could, but they also don't look washed out, and the resulting picture is very well-balanced and does justice to the high dynamic range content on the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc.

Input Lag and Power Consumption

The TV shows an input lag of 33.9ms by default. Switching to Game Mode, which can slightly negatively affect the picture quality, cuts that down to 15.3ms, which we consider excellent and is in line with the 55P607, Vizio's M-series, and other good TVs for gaming. For better input lag performance, you'll need to look for a gaming monitor.

Under normal viewing conditions, the 55C807 consumes 99 watts. Setting the picture mode to Low Power cuts that down to 67 watts. This is in line with similar-sized LED TVs; the TCL 55P607 consumes 124 watts in its brighter mode and 64 watts in Low Power mode. For comparison, the larger, 65-inch Vizio M65-E0 consumes 151 watts in its Calibrated (Bright) picture mode, and 91 watts in its more energy-efficient Calibrated (Dark) picture mode.

Conclusions

TCL's C807 series doesn't quite reach the top-notch performance or the overall value of the 55P607, but it comes very close. The stylish design and faux-soundbar bottom bezel of the TV don't add much to the already strong functionality provided by the Roku TV platform and enhanced remote, but they don't have to. If you're looking for a 55-inch TV, the TCL 55P607 is still our pick among budget options. That model is limited to that particular screen size, however, and if you're looking for a larger screen that still offers fantastic value, the TCL C807 line should is definitely worth a look.

It stands alongside the Editors' Choice Vizio M-series as an easily recommendable, affordable big-screen TV. Both lines offer excellent picture quality, with strong contrast and wide colors, and both support HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR content. The TCL has a brighter screen (though not as bright as the P607) and uses the Roku TV platform, which has more streaming apps and services. Vizio, meanwhile, uses a Google Cast-based connected platform with a small handful of on-screen apps, but a much more streamlined screen mirroring and phone-controlled app experience.

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About the Author

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert... See Full Bio

TCL 55C807

TCL 55C807

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